LOS ANGELES — Welcome back to California’s favorite post-election tradition: the seemingly endless ballot count that keeps stretching long after voters have gone home.
Another massive batch of votes landed Thursday, and the latest numbers delivered a familiar plot twist. Republican mayoral hopeful and reality-TV personality Spencer Pratt still holds second place in the Los Angeles mayoral race, but Democrat Nithya Raman is steadily chewing into his advantage. Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial contender Steve Hilton saw Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer leapfrog him in the race for a coveted spot in November’s showdown.
For conservatives watching the returns, it’s becoming a frustratingly familiar movie. Election night creates one picture. Then days of additional counting start painting another.
🚨 JUST IN: Democrats are strongly GAINING on Steve Hilton and Spencer Pratt in the California mail-in ballots, “WEEKS” of counting might remain
The Supreme Court should BAN “ELECTION MONTH” and do it before the midterms.
CALIFORNIA IS A DISGRACE TO THE NATION!
They BREED… pic.twitter.com/iwT9UlWFnY
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 5, 2026
In Los Angeles, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has already punched her ticket to the general election. The real drama is the battle for second place.
Pratt remains ahead of Raman, holding roughly a six-point edge after the latest tally. But the trend line isn’t exactly friendly to the former reality star. While Pratt added fewer than 6,000 votes in the newest batch, Raman picked up more than 10,000, narrowing the gap and fueling speculation about whether late-arriving ballots will continue favoring Democrats.
The race has drawn national attention in the aftermath of the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires, which intensified scrutiny of city leadership and sparked renewed debate over California’s progressive political establishment.
The governor’s contest tells a similar story.
Hilton, the former Fox News host who has campaigned as a reform-minded conservative, was overtaken by environmental activist and billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer after the latest vote release. Steyer banked nearly 24,000 additional votes in the newest count — almost double Hilton’s gain of just over 12,000.
Both men remain behind former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who continues to lead the field. Becerra added nearly 28,000 votes in the latest update and remains the favorite to advance. Current California election rules send the top two finishers to November if nobody clears the 50-percent mark.
🚨 BREAKING: CALIFORNIA HELD AN ELECTION— AND NOBODY KNOWS WHO WON 😳
DAYS LATER, the Governor’s race is STILL stuck in BALLOT-COUNTING LIMBO 😵💫
Florida counts 8 MILLION VOTES before BEDTIME—California can’t finish ONE CITY IN A WEEK 🤦
NEWSOM’S ELECTION SYSTEM IS BECOMING A… pic.twitter.com/3dIJhcfeFt
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) June 5, 2026
California has become infamous for turning election week into election month. Millions of ballots are cast by mail, and state law allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive afterward and still be counted. Election officials also spend days processing provisional ballots and conducting signature verification reviews.
Critics argue the system leaves voters waiting far too long for clarity. Supporters counter that the lengthy process ensures every valid ballot gets counted.
Lawmakers attempted to address complaints last year by requiring most non-problematic ballots to be counted within 13 days of an election, though several categories of ballots can still extend beyond that deadline.
Even with those changes, California remains one of the slowest states in America when it comes to delivering final election results. Ballots can continue arriving for days after Election Day if properly postmarked, and officials routinely warn that close races may take weeks to settle.
That means neither Pratt’s supporters nor Hilton’s backers should assume the drama is over.
In California, election night is often just the opening act.
